Audrey thought they would still be in the middle of nowhere when the line came to an end. However, it seemed the line they had used connected to some other line that led to a nearby village. So, even though the station looked abandoned, there were people living here. And all of them seemed to want to know where the train had come from. The FBI had to go out and clear the way, bringing the prisoners out first, most of them with a hood on for privacy. Once that van had gone away, most of the churls and theows went into various buses. Audrey did notice that Aldheim and three others were sent in a smaller vehicle. She tried to sneak into one of the other buses, but Leann wouldn't let her. She took her arm and cheerfully led her to the bus where all the former theows were, including Rita. Nora reluctantly went in another small vehicle with Bryan and a few other agents.
It was so strange seeing people still dressed like at the castle, but in a modern, comfortable bus. Audrey hoped the FBI would be able to procure some other clothes for them, that would go a long way to make this feel more real. Many of them still had the outline of shackles on the end of their clothing, including her.
"Ok, I think that what Audrey tried to do on the train is a good idea. Let's take a round and see what we all can remember, now that the idiots are out of the way. I can go first. I'm Leann, and I'm fairly certain that that's my real name too. It means "servant of John", at least according to the Lady, and I have been here since the earl was alive, as most of you know. I'm looking forward to seeing what has changed in the world outside in the last 30 or so years."
The rest took turns. Some knew exactly who they were, and the FBI would probably be able to release them quickly. Though some of them didn't seem excited about that prospect.
The two people that Morcefres had taken last had the most interesting story. They were also the ones who would most easily get back to society.
"My name is Mona, and this is my brother Lars." The woman said. "As many of you might have guessed, we are unfortunately related to the man you called Morce… whatever. We know him as Philip Olsen, and he is unfortunately our cousin. I say unfortunately because already as a child, he showed psychopathic tendencies. He seemed to enjoy hurting animals for instance. He was usually able to hide it from the adults and his parents especially wouldn't hear a bad word about him. He changed schools every few years, when teachers started to notice patterns.
We didn't know what to think, but we also didn't see him that often. Even our mother thought there was something wrong with him and didn't force us to interact with him after a while.
Then a few years ago, his mother called us and was frantic. She hadn't heard from Philip in months, and she had tried everywhere. He had quit his job, and no one had heard from him. My mother was worried, but more about what he could do to others than for him personally. It seems that wasn't an unfounded worry.
Then we signed up for this historical reenactment and couldn't believe our eyes when we saw Philip in those clothes, looking more pleased than he had ever looked. The gear and the title suited him too perfectly. We had our suspicions from the beginning, but we planned on staying away from him. We didn't want to associate with him if we could help it. Unfortunately, he had recognized us, and much like the rest of you, we weren't given a choice. But he also didn't want us to tell the rest of you who he was, so anytime we tried to talk to any of you he shut us down. I know it probably doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry that you all had to suffer because our aunt was blind to what her son was."
"You don't have to apologise for that," Leann said resolutely. "It is no one's fault but his own. And the Lady for hiring him."
"I wish we knew what her name was too," Audrey said. It was the first time she had spoken since she had left the train carriage earlier. "Philip doesn't sound half as ominous as Morcefres. And since he probably picked that name himself, I don't want to keep calling him that. The Lady also doesn't deserve that title, we should try to find something else to call her."
"Good idea. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone actually knows what her name is. And she's also been here for a long time, she might not have a real name. and unless she tells them her real identity, it'll be difficult for the FBI to find it." Leann said. "I don't really know what DNA is, but I doubt they have the records for that this far back."
"I heard… Philip call her Elfgifu once. Maybe that can work for now, until we're told if she has another."
"That works, though it's still a bit outlandish."
"I don't really want to talk about her at all," another theow said with a shudder.
"Neither do I," Leann said. "But if we start thinking about them with their actual names, it might all start to feel less frightening eventually."
"Eventually," another one muttered.
They all stayed mostly silent the rest of the bus ride. They weren't used to being allowed to make noise or ask for things, so most of them tried to hold their bladders until they were there. It wasn't until the bus driver casually mentioned that there was a toilet in the middle of the bus that they realized that it was an option. None of them had seen a proper toilet in years, Mona and Lars had to explain to most of them how it worked. They were very patient, though they must have thought this was a strange experience as well.